Roadway for vehicles.



F. L. PITMAN. 'ROADWAY PoR VEHICLES.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY. 1. 1912.

1,056,935. I Patented Mar.25,1913.

2 Sanna-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES INVENTOR g/ f f Y ferlefiek L. Pimam @KN/ww L l BY TOREY' l(UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

FREDEif/CK L. PITMAN, OF'SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

ROADWAY Fon VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, l 91 Application filed May 1, 19412. Serial No. 694,520.

To alt/whom it may concern Beit known that I, FREDERICK PITMAN, citizeii'of the United States of America, residingfat Spokane, in the county of Spokane and'Statef'f W'ashingtoii, have invented certain new i id usefulImprovements vin Roadways.foi-Vehicles of lwhich the following is j This invention pertains to roadways and has for its "object to provide road rails of such details of'construction and so arranged and embedded upon a highway as to provide .substantiallva pavement for automobiles,

wagons, trucks, buggies and other two or four wheeled vehicles to travellupon. Thus practically supplying a road pavement at the cost of, layingparallel-rails longitudinally offthe roadway at a sufficient distance apart to carry the wheels within their tread. F latures of this class of roadways that I claiin to have covered in niy construction shown by the drawings accompanying-this specification include a road rail having sutiicient. width and design of tread to accoiniiiodate and receive the different gages of vehicles ordinarily used upon public highways, a road rail provided with flanges upon each side /of the tread thereof for the purpose of retaining and directing the wheels of vehicles upon the track, similar to the.

flanges of rar wheels and utilized for a like purpose, inclinedvsurfaces approaching the ianges upon each sideof the tread of the rail for the purpose of supporting and leading the wheels of vehicles to and from the adjacent roadway surface and the track, a road rail provided with flanges for the retention of the wheels of vehicles, so located, designed and coiiibined with the tread and inclined surfacesof the rail and with the adjacent roadway as to adinit of the wheels of a vehicle readily mounting or leaving the rails of thetrack as desired, a. roadrail of such design', iiiagnitude and weight that when embedded in theroadway will ieiiiaiii irni and stationary under .the action of the 'wheels of nioving vehicles and will support heavy loads, a road. rail so constructed as4 to be readily and securely tainpedmand. packed iii a permanent .position to gii'ecoiiomy ot maintenance and support Aheavy loads and provide easy' and rapid transittliereover, a

road rail so constructed that it readily iiiain tanis` itselfin true ahneinent, a road railthat can be manufactured in shops and made of ksuitable weight, diinensionsand shapes to conform to the usual requirements of the saine as well as to provide for curves, angles, corners, culverts, bridges and the like, and

provided with nieans for interlocking en.

nei' in a roadway a section of which roadway is also shown: Fig. 2,-is a like view with the rails varying as to'soine details of construction, Fig. 3, is a perspective view of'a roadway provided with a .pairA of --tracks consti-noted with niy, improved rail, illustrating also by dotted lilies a pair of rails that maib'e provided for traffic iii'theopposite direction, Fig, 4, 'is an eilarge'd` detail view of the rail without the einforceinent, Fig. 5,

is an enlarged detail view of `a rail showing an embedded ;reiiiforcenieiitr arranged longitudinally of the rail at the n iost exposed portions thereof.

In detail of constnuction the invention consists of heavy sections of rails eacliconiprising a. tread l0 horizontal in crosslsection, a flange 11 on, each side of the tread,

:beveled sides 12, reachingoutwardly froiii the top of the flanges-,and downwardly to a point approximately one-hal'fof the vertical thickness of 'the rails, a base 13 hor izontalV in cross-Section at the center thereof.

beveled at the sides of thebase as at 14, theA beveled surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly,` meeting the outwardly and downwardly extending beveled surfaces "12 at a inore or less blunt-'point of contactas at l5.: The base 13 inay be broadened and be provided with rounding edgesa's at 16. Eacli-.railfis provided with a vertical,

central groove '17v at oiiaend an d `a vertical, central tenon 18 vatfthe other end, the roove in one rail andthetenon in another a apt-ed for being broughtinto locking enga ement' with each other. The rails are einbe ded iiithe earth 19 to-such' a depth .as-to provide an easy. access fromY the level of the roadway to the inclinedsurfaces 12. The tread 10 is Iliade of sulicient width to readily take the tires ofthe heaviestt-iiickor. the. lai-gest tires used on an automobile. The flanges 11 are lit will require alpremeditated rather abrupt turn sidewise to carry the vehicle from the provided road-way. The beveled surfaces la of the rail, enabling the same to be packed and tamped with earth or gravel therebygiving a strong resistance as against a tendency to sway laterally, has a tendency v to direct the disturbing force toward the' center of the rail and downwardly and the broad base 13 acts as a sustaining force as f against downward pressure thereby assur- *in the rail remaining in' its proper em- -..be ded position.

The interlocking means of the groove 17-and tenon 1S insures the rail sect-ions being held in relative aline- 'ment. In addition to the general use of'this construction of road rails t-he same may be used as a-road rail and at the same time as striugers for culverts across depressions and streams.

The rails are preferably composed of cement or artificial stone.

The steel reinforcing strips 2l and Q2 arranged longitudinally of the rail are substantially embedded in the body of the rail and reach out into the flanges ll and the point 15 respectively. Shouldv the cement e chipped away or crumbled at pointsalone' the rail, those strips will remain to chec the progress of the same and also to maintain the integrity of these portions of Vthe rails. Y

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to se= cureby Letters-Patent, is,

1. In a roadway' fiorvehicles, rails with a substantial body for embedment in the roadway having a tread along the upper surface, horizontal 4in cross-section, longitudinally arranged, a distinct flange on each side thereof yreaching upwardly a substantial distance above the tread, beveled surfaces extending outwardly and downwardly from the tops of the flanges on each side of the tread and adapted for a support for the wheels of vehicles invmounting and leaving the rails.

2. In a roadway for vehicles, rails having a tr`ead horizontal in crosssection, with a distinct flange on each side thereof extending upwardly a substantial distance above the tread, beveled surfaces extending from the tops of the flanges outwardly and downwardly, a base horizontal in cross-section and having beveled sides extending upwardly and outwardly and meeting the outwardly and downwardly extending beveled surfaces.

3. In a roadwa for vehicles, rails with a substantial body or embedment in the roadf way, having a tread horizontal in cross section, longitudinally arranged with flanges on eachide thereof, approaches from. each side of the rail over the flanges to the tread, a vert-ical groove at one e'nd of the rail and a vertical tenon at the other end thereof, the groove in one rail adapted for interlockinglfengagement with the tenon in another l'al 4. In a roadway for vehicles, rails with a substantial body for embedment in the roadway having a tread along the upper surface, horizontal in cross-section, longitudinallyarranged, a distinct flange on each Vside thereof reaching upwardly a substantial distance above thetread, beveled surfaces extending outwar'dly and downwardly from the tops of the flanges on each side of the Atread and adapted for a support for the wheels of vehicles` in mountin and leaving the rails, together with a vertlcal groove in one end of the rails and a vertical tenon in the other end thereof, the groove in the end of one rail adapted for interlocking engagenient with the tenon in the end of the other.

In a roadway for vehicles, a pair of rails arranged in longitudinal alinement paralleling each other along a' roadway the required distance apart to receive upon their tread the wheels of automobiles, trucks and other four or two wheeled vehicles, 51"*1) rails beingr provided with a tread for the wheels` flanges on bothl sides of the tread and heveled'surfaces reaching outwardly and downwardly from the flanges to the roadway providing a guide for the wheels in mounting and demounting the rails together with a base horizontal in cross-section and having beveled sides reaching outwardly and upwardly from such base.

6. In a roadway for vehicles, rails having a substantial body. a tread'. flanges on each `side of the tread and a reinforcement elnbedded in the body of the rails and reaching upwardly into the flanges. y i 7. In a roadway for vehicles, rails having a substantial body. a tread, flanges on each side of the tread, beveled surfaces ,reaching l'from the tread outwardly and to the roadway and reinforcing strips embedded in the body of the rails and reaching into the most ex )osed portions of the rails.

ln testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Y FREDERICK L. PITMAX. 'itnesses y Hann-iu H. Kara, MARK F. MENDENHALL. 

